Acting Up

I know the Monday morning quarterbacks will be talking about the good and the bad fallout from the first Rochester Fringe Festival, but I can honestly say that this first year went pretty well. Sure, most people said “what is that?” when you mentioned FRINGE. But overall there was a great buzz from attendees. Some shows sold out. Some had only a dozen people. Some shows were amazing, exciting and inspiring and others were , well…not. But that’s the nature of FRINGE.

What did you think? I’d love feedback to relay to the commitee. Either post it here or email me at rmeranto@jccrochester.org

If you did not attend, tell me what stopped you.

I went to about 12 shows (not including my own). Anyone hit more?

A good fringe fest can be a tremendous boots to an arts community and beyond. Lets all rally to help improve so that we can build this into a dynamic arts festival and economic boom to Rochester.

It’s the last day to explore the new Rochester Fringe Fest which has been hailed a hit! Lots of shows have been filling up, but do not let that stop you. Come out and enjoy the final day of the festival. Schedule for the TheatreRocs stage at Xerox Auditorium is below. Check out RochesterFringe.com for a full list of shows.

I admit. I was worried. Would Rochester come out and support this new arts festival? So far…so good. The TheatreRocs Stage at Xerox had two packed shows last night. The one-night-only Hedwig and the Angry Inch and (the repeating tonight) PUSH Physical Theatre.

Geva sold out two shows and I saw full houses at two more. I loved the musical comedy of Matt Griffo and The Event, which no self-respecting theatre performer should miss.

Mrs Kasha Davis in "There's Always Time for a Cocktail."

I am sure this same experience is being repeated at other venues and I hope everyone gets moving to join in before it’s too late.

Tonight I will be at two original shows, Pick Love by local writer Michael Radi at RAPA and (my Fringe entry) Mrs Kasha Davis in There’s Always Time for a Cocktail at Xerox Aud.

I plan to start my Fringe day at Hatch Hall with Percussionist Peter Ferry and his collaboration with Matt Evans who I have seen under the name Mev and the Extra Sleeves and loved!

I hit 4 shows of the Fringe Fest tonight and have at least 5 scheduled for tomorrow. It’s not too late to get downtown and experience this awesome event. Favorites tonight: Matt Griffo, The Event, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Tomorrow…Pick Love, There’s Always Time for a Cocktail and Push Physical Theatre. Check it our at www.rochesterfringe.com

The First Rochester Fringe Fest features five days of music, theatre, and dance from artists both local and national. It all starts tomorrow at 4pm with at Writers and Books with YUM; described as ”a delicious mix of original and traditional food stories, songs and poems” with entertainer, teacher, knitter and composer Beth Ely Sleboda. From there the festival explodes with improv comedy, music and theatre that range from the avant garde to Shakespeare.

There is so much to pick from, my advice is to block out the rest of the week, sit down with the guide and plan your schedule. I can not fit all the great shows I want to see, so my apologies to my friends and colleagues that I will miss out on.

One of my anticipated FRINGE shows is Unleashed! Improv and their completely improvised full-length musical with puppets: You Never Know, featuring PuppetProv, The Musical.

Two performances: Thursday, 9/20 at 8:30 p.m and Saturday, 9/22 at 7:30 p.m. at the TheatreROCS Stage at Xerox Auditorium (100 S. Clinton – surrounded by Clinton,Chestnut, Broad St. and Court St.) – enter on Broad St. Closest parking is the Washington Square garage near Geva or on the street if available.

One of my anticipated FRINGE shows is Unleashed! Improv and their completely improvised full-length musical with puppets: You Never Know, featuring PuppetProv, The Musical.

Two performances: Thursday, 9/20 at 8:30 p.m and Saturday, 9/22 at 7:30 p.m. at the TheatreROCS Stage at Xerox Auditorium (100 S. Clinton – surrounded by Clinton,Chestnut, Broad St. and Court St.) – enter on Broad St. Closest parking is the Washington Square garage near Geva or on the street if available.

Our first ever First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival opens next Wednesday, September 19 and runs through Sunday, September 23. There will be more than 175 performances in 20+ venues over five days. This is a great chance to show off Rochester’s love of the arts. If every person in Rochester came to just one show, the festival would be a sell-out hit. So clear your schedule and come out for the widest aaray of live theatre music, comedy and dance the city has ever seen. Visit rochesterfringe.com for details and schedules.

I get it. Bandaloop is way cool. People on bungies dancing off buildings? Seriously! Everyone needs to see this! The headline act of the first ever Rochester Fringe Festival will certainly draw a big crowd. But what then? You have already ventured downtown; paid to park…Now is this the time to see the real stars of the FRINGE Festival..the 180+ shows in 20+ venues over 5 days.

Mrs Kasha Davis in "There's Always Time for a Cocktail."

Within walking distance after BANDALOOP are a variety of shows worth checking out, including the world premiere debut of my FRINGE offering: Mrs. Kasha Davis in There’s Always Time for a Cocktail. This new work, based on the life of author Ed Popil (aka Rochester’s Mrs. Kasha Davis) uses stories and songs to explore Popil’s transformation from a young boy in Scranton PA to “International Celebrity Housewife Mrs. Kasha Davis”, the star of “The Producers” and “Big Wigs”. This show is directly across the street in the Xerox Auditorium, managed by TheaterRocs.

Then keep coming back every day for more of the awesome shows and show Rochester we CAN supoort a major arts festval.

Ralph Meranto is Artistic Director/Producer of CenterStage Theatre at the Jewish Community Center where he has Directed productions of Rent, Hair, West Side Story Urinetown, Six Degrees of Separation, My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding and many others. As an actor Ralph has performed on many local stages and can often be seen in television commercials and promotions. Ralph is also an acting coach specializing in audition preparedness and serves on the Executive Committees of TheatreRocs and the Assn. for Jewish Theatre.